Battle of Verdun, 1916
Colorized footage from the archives showing the devastation of the battle of Verdun. Considered the longest battle of the war, the carnage lasted from February to December 1916 and cost an estimated 350,000 German and 400,000 French casualties. Conceived by the Chief of the German Imperial Staff, Field Marshall Erich von Falkenhayn, the German objectives of the German offensive were to seize the Meuse Heights, a defensible position offering good observation for artillery to fire on Verdun itself. This would force the French to commit reserves in an effort to recapture the position, resulting in catastrophic French losses in exchange for relatively few German casualties. In short, Falkenhayn intended to “bleed the French white” and force them to sue for peace.
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